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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. field — farmland
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. ground — a position
  21. vault — a safe
  22. chair — a leader
  23. plane — a tool
  24. stem — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com